1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a technique for displaying images of subjects that include predetermined anatomical structures, along with information that identifies the anatomical structures.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a known technique for administering image analysis on diagnostic images obtained by MRI imaging that include spinal columns of humans (as disclosed in K. L. Weiss et al., “Automated Spine Survey Iterative Scan Technique”, Radiology, Vol. 239, No. 1, pp. 255-262, The Radiological Society of North America, 2006). In this technique, image analysis is administered to extract vertebral disks within the image. Then, symbols for identifying the vertebra (C1 through C7 for the first through seventh cervical vertebrae, T1 through T12 for the first through twelfth thoracic vertebrae, and L1 through L5 for the fifth through fifth lumbar vertebrae) are attached with respect to each of the extracted vertebral disks, and the symbols are displayed to overlap the vertebral disks in the diagnostic images.
During diagnosis based on images of subjects, the positions of diseased portions may be expressed using positional relationships among the diseased portions, surrounding organs, and bones. In this case, physicians are enabled to better understand the positions of diseased portions compared to cases in which the positions of diseased portions are expressed by coordinates of the images, and diagnostic efficiency is improved.
If the information that identifies all of the vertebral disks are displayed to overlap the diagnostic images as in the technique disclosed by K. L. Weiss et al., the positional relationships among diseased portions and the vertebral disks becomes easy to understand. However, a great number of pieces of identifying information are displayed within diagnostic images, which deteriorates the visibility of the portions of the images at which the vertebral disks are pictured, and acts as a barrier to diagnosis.